Home is Where the Heart Is
by VeeKayTM
Summary: When school lets out for summer, will more than just the New York sun heat up?
1. Pride

**Everybody loves the classic film, Grease. Could summer lovin' happen to all of our favorite Upper East Siders? Looks like B and C are going to be heating up under the hot summer sun, while S and N party in the Hamptons. Could the former flame between the two ignite with the summer heat? Even Gossip Girl herself is going for a vacay, but of course, my whereabouts are top secret. Enjoy your summer, boys and girls. Let the games begin. **

"Chuck Bass. If you do not pick up this phone RIGHT NOW, I'm going to fly back to New York and beat your ass!"

Flopping down on the bed, Blair looked out the window, irritated. Who the hell did Chuck Bass think he was, standing up the Queen of the Upper East Side in Tuscany? Closing her eyes, she tried to relax, but the feeling of a pounding headache seemed threatening if she didn't get up and move. Sighing, she stood up to pace around the elegant room, stopping to stare out the window to the beautiful landscape outside the secluded villa.

Looking outside to the barren hills, she suddenly felt the hot flames of anger coiling inside her stomach again. How could he dare leave her alone in a lonely country without anyone else to turn to?! Thinking of the man she spent the entire plane ride with, she suddenly felt dumb for turning him down for drinks after their landing. Suddenly, a thought hit her. He gave her his number! Diving towards her purse, she rifled through the contents until she pulled out a business card. Picking up the phone, she dialed the numbers carefully as a smirk began to play at her perfect ruby lips.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"You're becoming a responsible young man," Bart said. Over and over and over. Well, maybe not in reality, but in Chuck's head, the words seemed to be on instant replay, taunting him. He didn't want to grow up. He didn't want to be tied down, even if it was to Blair. Sure, he "loved" her, and sure, he wanted her, but the Bass way was to stalk their prey until they achieved the kill. Well, not in quite the vulgarity, but just as well, he got her to come back to him, they spent a great week together, but that was that. No matter who she was, or how amazing she was, or how much he liked her, he was still Chuck _Bass_. He was the playboy of the Upper East Side. Not a character out of a sappy romance movie.

Turning on his phone, he wasn't surprised to see the voicemail button flashing. Sighing, he took a seat in his bedroom and pressed down the one button, preparing himself for the wrath that can only be delivered by a Waldorf.

After completing the message, he immediately deleted it and decided it was probably a good idea to call Blair no matter how pissed off she would be by his skipping out on Tuscany. Smirking, he thought about what the look on her face would be if she found out why he had missed the flight. The thought of what she would look like sitting on a ten hour plane ride with a stuffy old business man only succeeded in widening the smirk that played up his handsome features.

Sighing, he dialed Blair's number and leaned back in the chair while listening to the sound of the phone ringing through the receiver. He counted the rings, for whatever reason, he didn't know why, and once it reached six, he knew the voicemail would pick up.

Sure enough, moments later, he heard the customary "You've reached Blair Waldorf. Leave your name and number and I might call you back."

The machine told him to talk after the beep, but he felt his voice catch in his throat and his heart rate jumping by at least 10 times the original. He mustered up the strength to press "end", but after that he was spent. Just the voice of Blair was enough to create butterflies out of the most secret and impregnable parts of Chuck Bass' soul. Swearing, he put his head in his hands and tried to stop the crazy stream going through his head. Should he fly out to Tuscany and create a lame excuse for his absence on the ten hour plane ride? Should he keep calling until she picked up? Should he leave another voicemail?

He stood up suddenly, letting his phone crash to the floor. No. He could not surrender to some girl. He was Chuck Bass. Chuck Bass the womanizer. Chuck Bass the playboy. Not Chuck Bass the _boyfriend_. Not Chuck Bass the _husband_. Ugh. He had to make a decision, and quick.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Serena giggled as she read a Vogue by the pool at the most exclusive resort in the Hamptons. She was loving summer- no school, no Gossip Girl, no waking up early. Mind you, she often had to put up with the perverts that hung around the Hamptons, staring at the tall blonde, and even sometimes hitting on her. When they confronted her, she merely laughed and gracefully escaped the situation in the way only Serena van der Woodsen could. She was truly relaxed in her Juicy Couture bathing suit and sipping pink martini, letting her skin take in an effortless glow from the beating sun. She and Nate had met up early that week, going out for drinks every night at fun bars and staying out until the early hours of the morning.

The two had always exchanged a mutual attraction for each other, but Serena deep down knew that it would have to stay a flirtatious crush, and nothing more. They had acted on the attraction once and it was great, but stupid. The hour or so of mind-blowing sex had not even balanced the aftermath of the situation. Losing Blair as a friend was not something Serena ever wanted to happen again, and she knew that as much as Nate acted like the loss of Blair wasn't something he cared about, deep down he was upset. Spending time in the Hamptons this summer with him may seem to everyone like Chuck and Blair's vacation in Tuscany, but both she and Nate knew that the trip was merely to escape the Upper East Side, not to have a romantic rendezvous away from the scorching eyes of Gossip Girl.

The thought of GG made her look at her phone. She hadn't received a single message from her, detailing her about the lives of her friends and their problems, or their fictional problems. Maybe Gossip Girl had finally given up, or at least for summer, and the thought made Serena giggle again. Gossip Girl giving up and getting her own life? The idea itself was hilarious.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Nate heard Serena laughing by herself, and felt a smile break out on his face immediately. Flopping down on the lounge next to her, he looked at her reading the Vogue and laughed.

"Glad to see some things never change," he said conversationally to the beautiful blonde that he had once been in love with – while at the same time being in love with her best friend. A year ago, he would have easily given up his entire relationship with Blair to spend a summer with Serena, but now that they were officially just friends, he was secretly bummed that it wasn't the petite brunette lounging in the chair next to him. He had been hurt, yes, when he found out about her and Chuck, but after he completely broke it off with her, he realized how dumb he acted. He had lost his best friend because of it, his girlfriend, and his security. He had even resorted to dating Vanessa, who was a very sweet girl, but she was definitely no Blair in anyone's interpretation. After a couple weeks of thinking, it hit him that what he had done to Blair was eighty times worse than what she had done to him. They were broken up when she slept with Chuck. He and Blair were dating when he and Serena slept together. Blair had been able to forgive him easily, and he would have been able to forgive her, too, had she not rejected him numerous times. And now? Now she and Chuck were rumored to be dating, and he was happy for his friend who he had recently reunited with, and he was happy that Blair was happy, but he would be elated if she was happy with _him_.

"Nate?" Serena pondered as she watched Nate slip slowly into his own world, grazing in and out of reality. He laughed.

"Sorry, Serena. I was just thinking… about things, you know?"

Serena knew exactly what he was thinking about. Blair and Chuck, the new and happy couple. She wanted to be happy for Blair, but not with her stepbrother and the most infamous womanizer of the Upper East Side. But, she could give Chuck the benefit of the doubt and actually believe that he had changed.

"About Blair?" she asked, knowing the answer before the question had even left her lips.

"Yeah… I don't know what to do, I like that she's happy for once, but I don't want her to be happy with anyone else. And I love Chuck to death, but I mean… it's just all so difficult."

Serena gave her a smile that you can only get a couple times in your lifetime. The smile that only ponders into your soul as much as you actually want it to, and understands you without knowing too much. Nate smiled back, but his showed the sadness that bit at his soul.

"Nate, I have an idea." His eyes lit up immediately. "I think you're going to like it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Blair was feeling tipsy. She knew that the last martini probably should have never been ordered, but the company of the handsome man with the smiling eyes was enough to make her feel liberated from the bastions of Chuck Bass and whether of not he was actually faithful or just reverting to the asshole she probably should have realized he always was. She looked at the time on the clock hanging on the wall of the hotel's bar. Eleven thirty? When did she even get there? Her head was spinning. How long had she been sitting here, flirting with the Bass employee at a bar that she was never even planning on calling. Stupid Chuck. If he had been here, he could have easily watched over her. She felt vulnerable with the gin running through her veins, looking into the eyes of a man who won the genetic lottery. Chuck could hold his scotch like no other man she had ever met. If he were here, they would be in the bedroom of the villa. She couldn't even stay in the villa anymore, which was why she resorted to staying at an expensive hotel for the duration of her stay. And suddenly, she knew what she had to do. Looking at the man sitting on the barstool beside her, she apologized, putting on the coy Blair Waldorf smile. "I'm so sorry, but I'm not feeling well. I'll see you around?"

Getting up off the stool, she hurried out to the lobby of the hotel, ran into the street, and hailed a cab. She had no idea how to speak Italian, but she did the best with sign language.

"Take me to the airport, please," she finally said, leaning back on the course leather seat. "I need to go home."

This was the first chapter in my first series! I'm so proud! haha :) Let me know what you thought of it, please. I would love to know your opinions


	2. Wrath

The familiar _ding _of the no seatbelt sign woke the brunette from her sleep. She had boarded a flight, first class, of course, on a plane heading to the JFK airport in New York City. She stretched her legs carefully and sat up. So she had slept through a ten hour flight. The business man on the right of her was still sleeping, his head casually tipped to the side with a satisfied grin on his face. "Gross," Blair thought in her head as she thought of what could be going on in _his _mind. She knew that grin, mostly because of Chuck.

The name sent whirls of panic and anger coursing through her veins, and she had to reach a hand out to steady herself from the nausea she had just developed. If only Bass knew what was coming to him. The thought of her revenge made her casually smirk. In the Upper East Side, Chuck was known as the King of revenge, and Blair was of course, the Queen. Poor Chuck had underestimated her, as usual. He had no idea what the petite girl could carry out, even if it wasn't one of her best schemes.

Stepping off of the plane into the terminal, she noted that nobody was here to pick her up, which was just on her plans. Bypassing luggage claims, she headed straight to the fresh air and hailed a cab. She could send service to pick up her numerous bags later, but right now, revenge was fresh on her mind.

"Where to, lady?" the cab driver asked rudely from the front of the yellow car, thumbing impatiently on the steering wheel.

"The Palace Hotel," Blair responded confidently, allowing the small smile to pass at her perfect ruby lips once again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Nate was at the resort's bar, sipping his drink quietly while watching the news flash on a television hung above his stool. He hadn't spoken to anyone but Serena in days, maybe it was even a week, and as much as he enjoyed her company, he was getting restless. The plan he and Serena had discussed was ingenious. He would casually make more and more of a presence in Blair's life, waiting for the first chance for Chuck to screw up, and then? Then, Nate would rush in and pick up the pieces and dash off into the sunset with Blair in his arms. Well, maybe not so melodramatic, but you get the drift.

He felt the presence of Serena before he saw her, and was confused at the mischievous smile playing at Serena's pink lips. "Hey Nate," she attempted to say casually, but failed dismally at the undertones of delight under her voice. "Has Gossip Girl sent you the newest post?"

Nate cleared his throat, and reached into the back pocket of his khaki shorts. The Juke was flashing red, and he twisted it open and began to read.

**Hello boys and girls. I told you on my last post to let the games begin, but I never expected such a win from my fellow gossip lovers. My pleasant vacation was nothing compared to the lives of all of our favorites. B was spotted getting off a plane from Tuscany at JFK alone. C was spotted at Victola this past week getting smashed with a girl that looked suspiciously like a woman that Bart and Lily hired to design their new home, not their new son's life. S and N were seen poolside at an exclusive resort in the Hamptons, which can only mean one thing. That's right, Gossip Girl called it first that our favorite affair would be starting back up again. Now that summer's out, so are the morals. You know you love me, XOXO, Gossip Girl.**

Nate finished the post and looked up at Serena, wearing the same grin. "So, uh, Blair came back alone?"

Serena looked baffled. "That's not even what's important, Nate! Look at the Chuck part again. He's already screwed up! You didn't even have to wait a week before you got your go. Now, all you have to do is call Blair and sweep her off her feet like Prince Charming!"

Now it was Nate's turn to look confused. "Serena, how are we even going to get her to talk to me? She's in New York with _Chuck, _while I'm in the Hamptons with you. Not to mention, Gossip Girl will be spreading rumors about you and me, only hurting my chances with Blair even more." He finished his speech and laid his head on his arms. "This is all just so confusing, maybe I should just give up."

"Give up?! Nate, you said you wanted Blair, so go get her! Look, it's not that hard." Serena grabbed the Juke out of Nate's hands and began to dial numbers. Before he could protest, he head the ringing of Blair's phone.

His heart began to race as he waited for her to answer. It would take six rings to be sent to voicemail, he knew. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… his breath caught in his throat as his heart sank lower into his chest. If she didn't answer, it meant that she didn't want to talk to him. Or worse. She was reuniting with Chuck.

"Hello?"

The voice made his heart beat faster and slower at the same time. She had answered.

"Yo," he answered back, his voice cracking. His face grew red as he questioned why he would respond in such a stupid way. Ugh. HE looked over at Serena who was obviously biting back laughter.

"Er… Is there a reason to your call?" Blair asked. She was pacing outside of the Palace hotel, ready to confront Chuck when her phone rang. She was secretly relieved for the distraction, facing Chuck meant that it was officially over between the two of them, which she craved, but at the same time, it would destroy her. However, she initial shock from the name on the phone was enough to harbor any thoughts of the man she loathed upstairs.

"Um, yeah. Listen, Blair… I saw the Gossip Girl post about you coming back to New York, well, alone. Serena and I are in the Hamptons, and we could really use your company… you know… if you want to…" he finished the sentence and felt his face burning again. Damn girls.

"Two shocks in one day? Nate, consider me flattered," Blair said, being the normally coy girl she usually was. If he wanted her back, which it appeared that he did, than he was going to have to do a hell of a lot more than ask for her to join him out in the Hamptons.

"Flattered enough to agree?" Nate asked, putting on his best charming voice.

There were a couple beats of silence between the two, which made Nate recoil into his shell. He had been too forward. Blair hated forward guys. Ugh. He had screwed it up in less than a minute of conversation.

"You always did have a way with the ladies, Archibald. Count me in."

Nate looked at the phone. Apparently Blair had hung up, which he wasn't completely surprised at. Serena nudged him impatiently from the stool over. "So?!"

"She's on her way," Nate said, with a grin that hadn't been seen in days.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"You always did have a way with the ladies, Archibald. Count me in."

With the last word, Blair quickly hung up the phone. The smile of revenge was creeping up on her lips again. Maybe the best way to get back at Chuck wasn't actually with a stiletto to the crotch. Maybe the secret weapon this entire time was named Nate, and she was just too blind to see it the entire time.

Satisfied with the direction of her summer so far, she stepped to the curb and hailed a taxi gracefully. Sliding onto the seat, she pointed him in the direction of her penthouse.

As soon as the car was put into park, she ran into the building and rode the elevator to the top floor. The airy quietness gave away the fact that nobody was inside. Rushing to her bedroom, she grabbed her favorite swimsuits and dresses.

She picked up her phone and dialed 411, asking for a service company. She ordered a limousine to take her to the Hamptons, and sent for someone to pick up her luggage before her departure. An hour later, her original luggage, plus a couple more bags were all packed into the car and she set off, ready for her summer adventure.

XOXOXOXXO

So that's chapter two! Let me know what you think of it :) I appreciate all of the reviews.


	3. Greed

The first thing Blair noticed when she stepped out of her limo was the warm wind hitting her face. The second thing was the tall blonde girl that she recognized as her best friend. Serena practically floated from her place on the driveway to where Blair stood, hugging her tightly as soon as she got there.

"Can't breathe," Blair said, trying to knock off the blonde's hug that was practically suffocating her.

Serena finally pulled away, her face lit up with her smile that could melt a lion's heart. Blair instantly felt bad for pushing her away, and smiled at Serena back.

"How was the flight? Where's Chuck?" Serena asked, not waiting for answers before asking the next question.

"Fine, and I don't know OR care. He's dead to me," Blair said, letting a scowl form on her face. She hadn't talked to Chuck, but she had a good idea where he was. And that place was (hopefully) far, far away from where Blair was.

At least, it would be good for his health if it happened to be.

The driver had taken Blair's entire luggage from the trunk, panting slightly from the weight of the numerous bags. "Where do you want me to put these, ma'am?" he asked, looking in awe at the grand house in front of him.

It was white with huge pillars reaching from the front porch to the second story roof, twirling and spiraling in a way that only hand chiseling could achieve. The shutters on the windows were blue, and the water sparkling behind the house matched them perfectly. The driveway led to a four car garage that was closed, but it would come to nobody's surprise if there were cars worth more than most people's home behind the folding doors.

Blair's voice knocked the driver out of his daydream. "Hello? I said to put my luggage in the front hall."

"Oh, right, Ms. Blair," he responded, shaking his head to clear the thoughts.

Blair rolled her eyes and turned back to Serena. "I thought that you and Nate were staying in a resort?"

Serena shrugged, a faint smile at her lips. "We were, but I don't know. I thought that now that you were coming, it would be a perfect time to rent a huge house on the water. It comes with boats and jetskis and a maid and…"

But Serena's voice was drowned out my Blair's thoughts. Where _was_ Chuck? And just as she let her mind begin to wander to the deepest corners of her mind – the corners that made her think that she LOVED him, her cell phone vibrated. And so did Serena's. Both of the girls looked at eachother, a look of distress in their eyes.

"Gossip Girl," they both said in unison, whipping out their phones.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

**What's wrong with NYC, B? First Tuscany, and then the Hamptons, what's next? L.A.? Have fun with S and N, B. Let the drinks flow, we'll be watching. XOXO- Gossip Girl.**

Chuck finished reading the text message that he had just received from Gossip Girl. So Blair was in the Hamptons now with Nate and Serena? He laughed when he thought about how she was destined to be the third wheel for the rest of their vacation. Serena and Nate would be lovey dovey and Blair would be sitting alone in a tanning chair, flipping through Vogue and trying to hold back vomit.

He had to share his newly found good mood with someone, and who better than his best (and only) friend Nate Archibald. He pressed create new text message.

_Hey man, just got the feed from GG. So how are you and Serena doing?_

He pressed send, still smirking thinking about Blair's agony. Before he could relish in her discomfort, his phone went off.

_New Text from Nate Archibald.  
Nah, it's not like that. I kind of needed to talk to you about something…_

Chuck was caught off guard. He sent a text message back displaying a simple question mark. Sometimes Nate could be so weird.

_New Text from Nate Archibald.__  
I like Blair._

The three words sent Chuck into a frenzy of dizziness. He felt like screaming, crying, punching, kicking, and dying all at the same time. He had no claims to Blair, he knew that once he sent her to Tuscany alone, he was shot to hell with her. She had forgiven him once, but she would never forgive him again. And she could carry grudges all the way to her deathbed. Her gravestone would probably read: Blair Waldorf: Devoted wife, daughter, and hater of Chuck Bass.

He sighed and flopped down on his bed. He sent Nate another text message.

_Lol. You're kidding, right?_

He decided that denial would probably be the best game plan for this discussion.

_New Text from Nate Archibald.  
I have never been so serious about anything in my entire life. _

His heart caught in his throat, like the way your stomach flopped on the first big drop on a roller coaster. He slowly typed the letters in his phone, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

_I understand. I really do. _

And deep down, Chuck really did understand. It was easy to love Blair – she was practically flawless. She just associated herself with the wrong men. All the time.

And that's when the idea first hit him.

Flying to his closet, he pulled down his leather luggage and started throwing random clothes in, rushing around the room. After five minutes of ransacking the place for everything he might need, he sped out of his room and into the main hall of their penthouse.

His father looked up from the couch, startled at his son's expression. "What are you doing, Charles?" he asked carefully, as if he were talking to someone with serious mental issues.

Chuck replied, his legendary smirk creeping onto his face, "Going to the Hamptons."

XOXOXOXOX

**Okay, so that's the third chapter... I hope you liked it.**

**I need you guys to review, I have no idea what you guys want out of the story if you never give me any feedback. **

**So, I'll ask again, PLEASE REVIEW THIS. Thank you :)**


	4. Lust

Blair sighed, flopping down on her bed. She had just finished completely unpacking in an upstairs bedroom that had a gorgeous view overlooking the ocean. The bedroom itself was gorgeous, though. The walls were a pretty blue that seemed to always match the sky that was visible from the huge window on the wall. Her bedding was white with pale flower accents, which would normally scream tacky to her, but they fit the atmosphere perfectly.

She heard Serena's footsteps before she heard the knock on her door, and Blair muttered "Come in" halfheartedly.

Serena poked her head in carefully, seeing Blair on the bed. "Come on! We're in the HAMPTONS! It's called partying, not sleeping," she teased, sitting down next to the brunette.

Serena's long blonde hair was flowing easily and naturally across her evenly tanned arms, making her look like a bohemian goddess. She was dressed in a navy blue bikini that probably cost more than two hundred dollars. "Get in your bathing suit and come down to the beach with me," Serena pouted, looking at her friend. "We're going to rent a boat."

Finally giving up on motivating Blair, Serena left the room, crossing her arms before shutting the door. Blair closed her eyes and let her head spin in the silence that fell upon her room. Before she could really start to think, though, she heard footsteps approaching her door again, leading to a soft knock.

"Serena! Give up already," Blair yelled at the closed door. It slowly opened, not to reveal Serena, but the gorgeous Nate.

"I'm not Serena, but can I still come in?" he laughed, leaning his tall frame against the doorway. The first thing he thought of when he saw Blair was beauty. And then came compassion, then love.

Blair flushed at his sudden appearance, but motioned him in, anyway. "Sorry… I just thought it was her again. What's up?"

"I was just checking in on you. Sorry I didn't greet you, I was sailing and lost track of time," he said as he sat next to Blair on the bed. Her heart instantly began beating against her chest, and she wondered if he could hear it. Raising a hand to her face, his fingertips brushed her skin and hair softly. "You look beautiful, Blair…"

She leaned in carefully, until they were only an inch away from each other. "Nate," she began, trying to find the right words. "I really, really-"

"Missed me?" he said, closing the space between them. The kiss was light and unrushed, but still sweet and full of love. He attempted to deepen the kiss, but she lightly pushed him away.

"Need to get dressed. I need to get dressed," Blair said, looking down at her shoes. She saw Nate's look of confusion while he went to the door, looking back once, before completely leaving.

Now, it was Blair's chance to be confused. Why had Nate just kissed her? Why didn't he want her a month ago? Why was he acting like the past couple of months had never happened?

Her head still spinning, she changed into her yellow bikini, adding a floppy hat and big sunglasses to completely finish off the look. She grabbed a copy of Vogue and set off to find Serena. Today was going to be interesting.

* * *

Chuck smirked as he walked away from the front desk of the Hampton Resort. The girl working was easily charmed, and after just a little grin from Chuck, she spilled the beans on the whereabouts of Serena.

Walking back towards his car, he couldn't help but he excited to see Nate again. And well, maybe Blair, but just a little bit. Well, actually, a lot, but Chuck couldn't allow himself to even think about thinking about her.

After about ten minutes, the car stopped at an elaborate house overlooking the ocean. Its colonial style reminded him of Blair's old fashioned soul, and he couldn't help but feel loneliness tricking down his heart. He stepped out of the car and went to the front door, knocking three times. Before he had even relaxed against a pillar, a maid answered the door, looking surprised at the prospect of company.

"Can I help you, sir?" the old woman asked politely.

"Yes you may," he said, letting his grin flash across his perfect features. "I'm looking for a Mr. Nate Archibald?"

The maid looked relieved and ushered him into the grand house. "He's in the upstairs parlor," she explained while motioning him towards the staircase.

Chuck nodded at the woman and began to climb the stairs, wondering where the parlor could even be, when he saw Blair Waldorf shutting the door to what looked like her bedroom, carrying a magazine and camouflaged in sunglasses and a hat. Their eyes locked for a split second, and the magazine fell to the floor, landing on the thick carpet with a muffled thud.

Chuck closed the space between them, standing only a foot away from her. She made no attempt to be near him, still resting her hand on the doorknob as if looking for a quick escape. "Blair…" he began, softly touching her arm.

She shied away from the touch, and took off her sunglasses. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" she asked, still amazed at the sight of him. She couldn't help but be somewhat pleased. His presence obviously meant that he was still interested in her, even though she had ignored his text messages and phone calls. On the other hand, she had left New York City in an attempt to leave _him_, and he was only making the option impossible by deciding to show his face in the Hamptons.

Even though she had rejected his touch, he still smirked when he saw her eyes. They weren't angry, but somewhat annoyed. "Blair, I think we need to talk. May I?" he asked, putting his hand on hers and opening the door.

His familiar touches made Blair want to recoil and kiss him, but she knew that a strong front would be the only way to leave herself completely unhurt around him. Putting up walls was her trademark, next to headbands.

Once they had both stepped into the bedroom, Chuck stood only inches away from her, running his hands through her hair sweetly. "I missed you…" he began, looking at the girl he wanted so badly to hate.

She looked down, regretting the decision to wear a bikini. She felt exposed and raw emotionally and physically. She had nowhere to hide.

"And, I know that you missed me too," he continued, starting to trail kisses down her neck.

She looked up, and her lips were only inches away from his… and then centimeters… and then they connected. The kiss slowly deepened, until they were both wrapping their arms around each other and slowly moving towards the bed in the center of the room.

Once Blair's knees hit the mattress, they buckled and she landed on her back, with Chuck on top of her. His hands were slowly trailing down her back, finding the string that held her top together. Pulling slowly with guaranteed expertise, it unraveled and found its way to the floor, where the rest of their clothes would soon follow.

And that was Blair's first mistake of the summer.

**I hope you liked it :)**

**It was short, but I'll be working on a longer chapter later on...**

**let the drama begin!  
and once again, please review ;)**


	5. Envy

**I would like to inform everyone that there is some strong language in this chapter. If you have any reservations toward swear words, I would suggest that you skip the chapter. There is a lot of angst. Thank you!**

* * *

Blair sighed, fluttering her eyes open. Chuck Bass was curled up against her, his arms wrapped around her thin waist like they had been so many times before. His breathing was soft and even on her shoulder, and she couldn't believe what she had just done.

She had vowed to herself to put up a strong front _against_ Chuck, making him work his way back into her heart, but the plan crumbled when she felt the touch of his skin against his. "Stupid Chuck," she thought, still lost in what had just happened on her bed.

She head familiar footsteps in the hall and her heart started to hammer against her chest. She shoved Chuck's arms off of her, making him tense and wake up, looking around confusedly.

"Get up, you idiot," she whispered, trying to pull on her bikini again. But it was too late. The door swung open to reveal Nate, carrying the Vogue that had fallen out of her hands in the hallway. After one glance at the naked Chuck wrapped in Blair's covers, and Blair hastily trying to cover herself up, he felt the anger boiling inside of his chest, licking up to his throat like flames in a forest fire.

Blair was too embarrassed to move, but she knew that standing beside the bed like an icicle was not going to help the situation. When she saw Nate's face, she instantly felt ashamed. And slutty. And like a terrible person.

Nate couldn't contain his anger any longer. It was swelling in his chest, threatening to burst. When Chuck sat up in the bed, shaking his head, he burst. He felt himself flying across the room, pinning Chuck to the bed by his throat. "What the hell is your problem?" he screamed at Chuck, who was too stunned to say anything back. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I thought you had changed, but I was so wrong. So fucking wrong."

Chuck managed to choke out words that sounded a lot like "I'm sorry", but being shocked and pinned down doesn't do much to anyone's vocal skills.

Nate released him, running his hands through his hair. He glanced at Blair, who had managed to get her bikini fully on. She was staring at him with eyes full of embarrassment and shame. He turned back on her, too. "AND YOU!" he screamed, pointing his finger at her. "I thought you had changed, too. But it's nice to see that the true Blair – the slutty Blair – still lives inside."

He turned after his last word and stormed out into the hall, not caring where his feet were leading him. His head was spinning, and he felt like he had just been on a merry go round for hours. He could hear Blair calling after him, but for some reason, it sounded like she was underwater, screaming at someone on the other end of a pool.

Finally, he found his room and left the door open, hastily pulling out his luggage and throwing clothing into it. He was so busy slamming drawers and fuming that he didn't hear Blair enter the room and sit on his bed.

"Nate…" was the first thing that he heard, and he froze at the sound. She sounded so delicate, so hurt, and so bruised. "Can we talk about this?"

He turned around, not knowing whether he should be angry at her. "Fine," he said finally, sitting in the armchair that sat adjacent to the bed. "Talk."

Blair floated off of the bed, and sat in front of him on her knees, her hands resting on his thighs. She was shaking, he noticed, but he didn't know why. "Nate, I'm so sorry. I was so confused earlier by the kiss, and then I saw Chuck, and then I didn't know what to do. It was like earlier everything was falling into place again, and of course, I had to screw it all up. I was so scared, Nate. I was scared of you and me and _us_. I was scared."

He looked down at her, brushing a piece of her brown hair that had fallen into her face. "Why?" he asked, leaving his hand brushing against her cheekbone. "Why are you scared? I could give you everything I never could before – love, commitment, anything. I'm ready."

She stopped looking down and instead looked him dead in the eye. "If you would have said that three months ago, we could have been unstoppable," she laughed. "But, now. I don't know. I really don't. I don't deserve you anymore. Look at me, I'm filthy. Like you said before, I'm just a slut."

The last word rang around the room. "I didn't mean what I said," Nate whispered. "I was running on emotions."

"Angry words are happy truths," Blair responded.

"No," Nate rejected, tipping her chin so that they were on eye level with each other. "You're so much more than anyone I've ever met. You're beautiful, and strange, and intelligent, and I would do _anything _to have you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both digesting the words that Nate had just confessed. He cleared his throat and asked if she was hungry.

Blair wasn't one to gorge out on food, but right now, the only thing that could ever make her feel whole was the feeling of a full stomach.

* * *

Blair and Nate had found a local café with an outdoor eating area immediately. After being seated by the hostess, they ordered their food and drinks immediately. Nate had been a perfect gentleman to Blair all night long, opening doors for her, randomly kissing her forehead, holding her hand when they walked. He was being everything that Blair would have wanted him to be during their first run as a couple.

After ordering, Blair excused herself to go to the bathroom, but instead decided to make a phone call to Serena before she freaked out about her friend's disappearance. She walked down the street that the café was on, pacing while she waited for her friend to answer the phone. However, right before the call went through, a hand reached out and took her phone, ending the call.

At first, Blair thought that she was being mugged. She instinctively tightened her grasp on her purse, but the voice that was whispering in her ear made her just want to die.

"Why'd you run off earlier?" the voice purred, churning Blair's stomach.

She spun around and grabbed her phone out of Chuck's hand. "Why are you here?"

He acted like he was hurt, grabbing his chest. "Blair, if you keep on asking things like that, I would start to think that I'm not wanted."

"Because you're not?"

"That's not what you implied earlier," he responded, the legendary smirk growing on his face. When she didn't respond, his face turned foul.

"What the hell, Blair? Are we just going to repeat this charade until you get bored? You're fucking with people's feelings, Blair! It's not fair! You're leading on Nate."

She shook her head. "Or, I'm leading you on."

His face fell. "Which is even worse. You may think that you're being coy and demure by doing this whole dance, but you know that deep in Nate's heart, you are nothing compared to Serena."

Now, it was her turn to get angry. "Serena and Nate were a onetime thing, _Chuck_."

He laughed, the smirk returning again. "People think that we were, too."

After she digested his words, she realized that he was right. He always had been. Turning on her heel, she marched back to the café.

Maybe Chuck was right.  
Maybe they were actually meant to be.

* * *

**Another short chapter, sorry.  
What do you think about it so far? Review, review, review :) :) :)**


	6. Gluttony

When Blair returned to the table, the food had already come. Nate looked bored, texting somebody on his cell phone. When Blair quietly slid into her seat, her heart was still pounding against her chest at an unhealthy rate. The encounter with Chuck dissolved her appetite, which mocked the huge pasta dish that sat in front of her.

"How's Serena?" Nate asked, staring at Blair closely.

"Oh," Blair said, looking up from her dish. She had forgotten to call Serena in her haste to get away from Chuck. "She's great!"

Nate frowned, still looking at Blair. "Are you okay?"

She choked on the piece of pasta she had put in her mouth. "What?"

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah, er, why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me? You look pale," he said, not touching his food.

In her head, Blair scrambled to find a way out of this. "Well, there's this party at someone's beach house, and Serena really wanted me to go with her, which of course means that you'll come to… and I don't know, I wanted to get ready before it…" Blair attempted, avoiding Nate's glare.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Nate asked, a smile flashing, showing his perfect white teeth.

Blair couldn't help but smile at Nate's willingness to accept her lies. Chuck would have _easily_ seen right through that. "So did you want to go," she asked, secretly texting Serena underneath the table. There _had _to be a party tonight and whom better than Serena to locate it?

"Yeah, of course," Nate said, signaling for the waiter to come over. "Could we get two boxes for these? And the check."

The waiter nodded once, rushing off to the kitchen for boxes. Blair suddenly felt elated – she had managed to get out of eating a huge dish _and _getting caught with Chuck. _Damn_, she thought, _I'm good_.

Ten minutes later, Nate and Blair were strolling down the street towards the car that Nate had rented. To any passerby, they looked like the perfect couple, hands intertwined, giggling at each other's jokes, and obvious money between the both of them.

But on the inside, they were a train wreck waiting to happen. Blair had mastered the art of hiding the truth, but if anyone could see the things in her head right now, they would easily turn away in shame. Nate, on the other hand, couldn't be happier. He had his girlfriend back, and best of all he didn't have to compete for her love anymore. That was in the past. Or so he thought…

When they arrived at the huge house, they went their separate ways to get ready for the party. Blair went directly to her room, checking underneath the bed and in the closet for Chuck before locking the 

door. She stripped down, changing into a Alice + Olivia white garden dress with a floral print. She curled the ends of her hair perfectly, adding a pink headband to top the entire outfit. Slipping on her metallic sandals, she was ready completely. Just before she could grab her cell phone, there was a knock on the door.

Blair froze. Surely, he wouldn't be stupid enough to come to her in the house, would he? She laughed in her head. Of course Chuck was stupid enough to do that, he ran on ego and not intelligence. Before she could formulate a perfect plan of action, Serena's voice wafted into the room.

Blair's heart leaped, and she opened the door immediately. Her gorgeous blonde friend was wearing a green Sass & Bide dress with jewels. It ended just above mid thigh, and her bronze sandals matched her long blonde hair perfectly.

"So do you want to tell me why I had to search for a party," Serena asked, plopping down on the bed.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Do you really want to know?"

Serena shrugged. "I do, but then again, knowing you, I don't."

Blair rolled her eyes and told Serena the entire story – starting with Chuck's arrival, and then Nate's confession, to Chuck's crashing of her and Nate's dinner.

At the end, Serena's face grew angry. "Ugh! Why do I have to be related to such _scum_?!"

Blair laughed, "And why do I have to be so attracted to it?"

The girls both got lost in a frenzy of giggles, despite the drama that was about to unfold.

* * *

Blair looked at the party that was around her. Nate had gone off to get drinks, leaving her alone and vulnerable in a room full of people that she didn't know. Chuck would probably be here, since it was the party of the summer. Serena had instantly taken off when she saw a cute guy by the keg, hugging Blair before skipping off.

Sighing, Blair found a couch that didn't have a couple eating face on it. Nate soon reappeared with some drinks, sitting next to Blair and wrapping an arm around her tiny waist.

"To us," Nate said, raising his drink.

Blair couldn't help but smile at how hard Nate was trying. "To us," she agreed, touching the glasses before gulping down the drink eagerly.

Before she had to ask, Nate took her glass in a pursuit to fill it up. She was starting to feel the burn of the alcohol, so much that she didn't even notice Chuck at a seat across the room, an attractive blonde in his arms. But he didn't have any eyes for the girl, his eyes bore into the back of Blair's head.

Thirty minutes later, Blair was giggling on the couch, feeling more than tipsy. Nate had done his best to cut her off after drink number five, but Blair wasn't going to go down easily. She took drinks from people around her.

"Nate," Blair said seriously, slurring her words. "We should really, really, dance. Like, right now."

She grabbed his arm and led him out to the dance floor, or really, just a part of the living room that had been cleared of any furniture. She started to dance with him, throwing her arms up in the air, shaking her hips in a way that was in her mind seductive.

Chuck couldn't help but laugh at how stupid Blair looked. He had never seen Blair imitate a fish with his head cut off, but it was surely entertaining. The people around her had stopped dancing, instead looking at Blair with amusement, laughing to their partners. Nate tried to escort her off of the floor, but she shoved him, tripping over a power cord and landing on her face.

"How many drinks did you really have," Nate asked Blair while escorting her out into some fresh air.

"Five? No, seven. Or was it ten?" she asked, trying to sober up after her fall. "God, I'm so embarrassed."

Nate laughed, squeezing her hand. "It's cool, you're still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Blair blushed, and then felt something coming up her throat. "Uh-oh!" was all she could get out before dashing in the direction of the bathroom, just making it in time to throw up into the toilet, flushing it away, disgusted.

She sat up, rubbing her head. After splashing some cold water onto her face and rinsing out her mouth, she declared herself acceptable and reentered the party. Chuck had waited outside of the bathroom for her, and grabbed her by the arms as soon as she left it. He led her to a bedroom just off of the hallway, and Blair stumbled behind, too shocked to say anything.

After he slammed the door, he instantly turned on her. "What the hell were you thinking, drinking everything in sight?" he yelled, frightening Blair. "Do you know what happens to drunken girls in the Hamptons, Blair?"

After the initial shock left her, she shoved him against the door. "What the hell do you want, Chuck? You already ruined my life once, are you trying to give it another go? You said earlier that I was just recreating the past, why are you trying to, too?" she screamed back.

"Well, sorry for caring about your safety," he yelled back.

"Ha!" she laughed sourly, taking a step back. "Safe yourself the time, Bass. You're nothing to me. Why can't you just accept it?"

"I can't except it until _you _accept it," Chuck said back, smirking internally.

Blair couldn't find a comeback to his last comment, and she stood there defeated. "My date's probably looking for me…" she said, trying to pass Chuck.

He grabbed her by the waist and whirled her around to face him. "Waldorf, if you can tell me that you don't feel anything, but I don't believe it anymore than you do."

She rolled her eyes and continued to the door, looking for Nate, who was leaning against a wall looking worried. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he closed the space between them, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I was worried," Nate said into her ear, the music from the party sending vibrations through the floor.

Blair's head starting to hurt, indicating that her hangover was probably making a surprise visit. "I was, too," she said back, meaning it. "I'm sorry to ruin your night even more, but can we go home?"

Nate smiled and wrapped an arm around her, "You didn't ruin my night, Blair. You made it perfect." He kissed her on the cheek, but Blair barely noticed.

Her eyes were focused on Chuck Bass, who was leaning against a doorframe, his eyes boring into hers. His lips moved carefully, forming the words that would break Blair's heart.

"Liar," he said silently, before turning away to find that blonde again.

* * *

**Okay, so that's another chapter up :)  
Thank you to everyone who's reviewing, I love reading them!  
And please keep it up!!**

**I know I'll probably be asked about this, so I'll explain:  
Gluttony isn't always just about food - it can be about drinks.  
And Blair went overboard with the alcohol :)**

**Thank you guys so much!**

**Until next time...**


	7. Sloth

"B, you can't put off talking to Nate forever," Serena said, sipping on her strawberry cocktail.

Blair shrugged, thankful that she had decided on her oversized Dior sunglasses. They could disguise _anything_, like the hurt that was flashing in her eyes, or the dark circles that were the effect of her hangover. She had decided that she had to get out of that god forsaken house; it was home to too many problems that she didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.

"Blair, I'm serious," Serena whined, taking off her own Prada sunglasses to look at her friend. "If you put it off-"

"It will just get worse, yeah, yeah," Blair interjected, wishing that she was still drunk. She knew that Serena only meant well, but in the time that they had been tanning (thirty minutes, from what Blair's Fendi read) Serena had managed to bring up talking to Nate at least five times and it was starting to wear Blair out.

"S, I know what you're saying. Just not now," she reinforced, closing her eyes. The sun was unnaturally hot and bright, escaping through the dark lenses of her sunglasses easily.

"Whatever you say," Serena said, her toning hinting that it was _not _whatever Blair said. "But, really-"

"Serena!" Blair said, raising her voice slightly. "When did you become a broken record? I heard you the first thousand times you told me your idea, and I'm not deaf. I will do it later!"

Serena sighed, accepting Blair's words. "Do you want a drink?"

Blair shook her head no. "I'm fasting on the alcohol. We didn't get along so well last night…"

Serena giggled, remembering her friend's fall on the dance floor. "I don't know, B. Your face sure enjoyed the carpet…"

Blair laughed, smacking Serena playfully. "You're such a brat! If I had a dime for every time your face has collided with ground, I would be, well, rich."

Serena laughed. "Well, in reference to your bank account, I've had my fair share of tripping."

The girls were lost in a fit of giggles, and it all felt like the old times to Blair. The simple banter between the friends out in front of a pool, letting the sun beat down on them. Both of them slightly hung-over, enjoying the light breeze that the outside always seemed to have.

But, the old times were so much _simpler_. Chuck wasn't in the picture, except as Nate's friend with a tendency to be a whore, not as Blair's ex-lover. Or was it present lover? Either way, it did nothing for Blair's already pounding head that no amount of Advil could cure.

"Can I ask you something," Serena pondered, rolling onto her stomach to tan her back.

Blair followed the movement, turning her face toward Serena to continue the conversation. "Mmmhmm," she relied lazily, feeling uneasy at what Serena could possibly be wondering.

Serena twirled the umbrella that had come with her drink. "Do you really like Chuck?"

Blair would have normally recoiled, but she knew that Serena was asking the question as a third person, not as a judging best friend or sister, and to be truthful, Blair had been asking herself that question for months. "S, I don't know. Sometimes I think that I do. But other times, he's just such a jerk. Like when he left me in Europe, which sent me over the edge."

"And then there's Nate…" Serena added.

"Who only makes the situation even worse. He claims that we wants me, and he's been the perfect gentleman, but sometimes I just think that too much has happened for us to ever go back," Blair explained, exhaling deeply. "I don't know, sometimes I just feel like Daisy in the Great Gatsby."

Serena sat up, looking at her friend seriously. "Then who's Nate? Tom or Gatsby?"

Blair sat up, too, matching the tone of her friend. "I don't know. And it keeps me awake at night."

* * *

After their touching heart to heart, Serena was confident in what she had to do to help her best friend again. And as plans of Serena go, it included alcohol, and guys.

Blair had gone to her bedroom to take a nap after tanning, but since she had closed the door hours ago, Serena decided it was time to disturb her peace. She didn't bother knocking on the door, and when she entered the beautiful room, she saw her friend typing on her laptop, looking up when she noticed Serena.

"Hey," Blair said, shutting the top of it. "I was just writing an email to Eleanor, you know how she gets."

"It's cool," Serena replied, sitting on the end of the bed. "What are you doing tonight, other than wallowing in self misery?"

Blair shrugged, stretching her arms out. "I suppose you want me to do something with you?"

"Yeah! We're going to this club tonight, called Whitehouse," Serena explained, looking at her split ends.

"S, have you not noticed that I'm trashed from _last night_?" Blair asked, sitting up on the bed.

"I don't care, Blair. You need to just get out of this place and let loose," Serena shrugged. "You might want to start getting ready, I want to leave early around ten."

Before Blair could even respond, Serena hugged her tight and whispered in her ear. "You know I love you, B. And no guys tonight. Just you and me."

Blair nodded, thankful for her friend's enthusiasm in Blair's time of need. On the other hand, all Blair really wanted to do was sit in her giant bed and forget the world, watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and dreaming of simpler days.

But those days were gone, Blair decided. And so was the old Blair.

* * *

The clock on Blair's watch read 9:30, and almost on cue, her friend walked in her bedroom door, dressed to the nines. Serena's long blonde hair was stick-straight, making her skin look more tanned than anything. Her legs were on showcase with her Larok patchwork racer back dress, finally leading to a pair of black patent leather heels.

Blair looked just as gorgeous, her brown hair curled at the ends, letting it end gracefully at her shoulder blades. Her thin frame looked curvy in a close fitting Betsey Johnson dress in red, making Blair's perfect ruby lips pop. On her feet she sported the newest Dolce and Gabbana black pumps, completing the outfit perfectly.

"I think that we're going to have enough guys all over us to last a lifetime," Serena laughed, hugging her friend tightly. "We won't need the IDs. Let's go."

They both climbed into the waiting car, getting tipsy on the way to the nightclub. Before they had even arrived, they were both drowning cosmos and toasting to everything – from friendship, to money, to tanning.

The car stopped and the driver opened up the door to let the girls out. They thanked him and grasped each other's hands for support on the way to the door. There was a line trailing outside of the club, but they merely walked along it, catching everyone's attention on the way to the door. The stares from the boys made their girls glare at the two socialites, with both jealousy and hatred. The bouncer didn't even ask for their ids, as expected, and they walked straight into the nightclub, feeling the music immediately.

As if on autopilot, the two girls made their way to the bar, sitting on the barstools. They didn't even bother signaling the busy bartender, who ran to start chatting with the girls.

"What can I get for you?" he asked, trying to decide in his head which girl he liked better. On the right was a tall blonde that could easily fit on the pages of a magazine. On the left, there was a shorter brunette with the most perfect lips that he had ever seen. He could tell that they weren't of age to drink, but it wouldn't stop him. It wasn't every day that he saw girls like that.

"Tequila Sunrise," the blonde said, smiling at him. He blushed, even though he knew that she was just using him.

"And you?" he asked, looking at the brunette.

"Oh," she asked, as if surprised that he would ask for her order. "What do _you_ recommend?"

He gave a cute lopsided grin, aware that she was flirting with him. "Well, for a beautiful girl like you, I would say you would like a Sex on the Beach."

She nodded, and he took off to make their drinks. Serena turned to her immediately and laughed. "Dang, what was that? A two hour rebound rate?"

Blair smiled. "Coming here was _such _a good idea. Hey, look. It's our song, let's dance!"

The beginning chords of Justin Timberlake's _Sexy Back_ played through the huge speakers, vibrating the floor underneath the girls. Blair was feeling confident – perhaps overly confident, and climbed onto the bar, followed quickly by Serena.

The opening lyrics came in, and Blair started to shake her hips, elated at the reaction of the crowded nightclub. They were all following her and Serena's movements, entranced by their boldness. Five minutes later, the song was over, and Blair and Serena reluctantly climbed down from the bar and returned to the seats, breathing heavily.

The bartender returned, grinning at the girls. "I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like the two of you," he said, handing them their drinks.

Blair gulped down half of the drink eagerly, letting the vodka sting her throat. "Well, with the right motivation, I'll do _anything_."

The bartender was instantly interested, leaning forward slightly. "Nolan," he said, extending his hand to the brunette, who put her small hand into his gracefully.

"I'm Chloe," she lied, letting her smile cover it. "And this is my best friend and partner in crime, Audrey."

Serena kicked Blair's calf underneath the table before shaking hands with the bartender. "It's our pleasure, I'm sure," Serena said, laughing.

He really was cute, Blair decided, looking at him carefully. He stood tall – maybe six feet – with green eyes and brown hair that looked casually messy, his arms muscular from bartending. He was obviously out of Blair's league, but he would do fine as a distracter.

While she was staring at him, she didn't notice his friend come up behind them, staring into Nolan's eyes, waiting for an explanation as to why he hadn't introduced the girls to him.

"Er, girls, this is my friend Ethan," he said. The girls turned around, surprised at a new arrival. The friend was _hot_, Serena thought. He was as tall as Nolan, but with black hair and bright blue eyes.

"Chloe," Blair said, not offering her hand. She didn't want to come off as too friendly.

"Audrey," Serena said, smiling brightly at him. _So much for no guys,_ Blair thought to herself.

"How about you and Ethan go and dance," Blair offered, watching Serena shoot her a look.

Before long, Serena was off dancing closely with Ethan, who couldn't look happier to be seen with the most beautiful girl in the club.

Blair turned back around and twirled her drink with her straw. So, she had been removed from the solace of her bedroom to sit alone at some loud nightclub.

Sighing, she rose from her stool, heading for the doors.

"Off so soon," Nolan asked, towel drying a glass behind the counter.

Blair turned around and shrugged, sitting back down. "So are you the type of bartender that listens to everybody's problems?"

He laughed, flashing bright white teeth. "I can be, if you want. I'm a really good listener."

She sighed again, deciding whether or not to tell him her problems. "It's a really, really stupid long story."

He looked down at his watch. "I've got two hours before shift is over, and I think your friend is a little busy. So, let's talk."

Blair looked up at him, biting her lip. "Well, it all started back in like, kindergarten. I started to date this guy named Nate, who I thought I was totally in love with. I had everything – popularity, money, love. But then, I found out that he slept with my best friend, Ser-, I mean Audrey. So, she and I got into a huge fight, and Nate and I broke up. And then we made up - me and Audrey, I mean. So I thought that Nate and I were over for good by that time, and I found that I really liked this guy named Chuck, who is a total Hugh Hefner of his time. He's known for getting girls drunk and taking them back to his daddy's building to have sex with them. But, that's not even the point. We had sex in the back of his limo, which was a huge mistake, let me tell you.

"Once I had had sex with him, Nate ran back to me. I was so confused. I had Chuck coming at me, and then Nate, and then Chuck told this huge gossip that I had sex with him, and Nate dumped me on my ass again. It was so humiliating, and I was suddenly dethroned from queen bee to absolutely nothing. The only person who wanted to be my friend was Aubrey. And then Chuck and I got back together, but then he backed out last minute and sent me on his private jet to Italy on my own. It was terrible. So I came to the Hamptons, and Nate wants me back, and now Chuck wants me back. And I just don't know."

She exhaled, taking a breath from her long speech. "I bored you, didn't I?"

Nolan smiled again, holding back laughter. "I'm sorry, but your life seems like a teenage television show."

Blair laughed, too. "You have no idea."

Nolan stopped laughing and looked thoughtful, refilling Blair's drink. "If you want my two cents," he said, looking at her. "I would go with what my heart told me that I wanted."

"That's what I've been trying to do, but it just gets me into a bigger issue than before. I mean, if you compare the guys, Nate wins hands down."

"But girls always want the bad boy," Nolan said, completing Blair's thought.

Blair laughed again. "I wouldn't say that Chuck is a bad boy, just a boy that's bad for every girl. He's insecure, rude, piggish, and indecisive, not to mention that he has the world's worst timing."

"So what's wrong with this Nate kid," the bartender asked, shaking a drink up.

"I don't know. He's perfect, I guess. He's thoughtful, and sweet, but it just makes no sense. I lived a perfect live with him for so long, and now it all just seems so bland. Chuck adds a mix of excitement in everything, but he could also back out and leave you alone at any time," Blair said, chewing on her straw.

"Seems to me like you've got a classic case of high school," the bartender said, serving the person next to her.

"Does it get any better?" Blair asked, reaching for her vibrating phone.

"Well," he pondered. "There's a big world out there, kid. Bigger than some dance, bigger than high school, and it won't matter if you were the queen bee or the school slut or the richest kid. Just find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it."

Blair felt herself blush, and then everything became clear. Like how a mirror fogs up from steam, but in the reverse order.

She knew what she had to do.

She put a twenty down on the bar, but Nolan pushed it away. "Your drinks are on the house. Just get home safe, alright?"

She nodded, and couldn't help but feel more compassion for a single person in her entire life. "Thanks a lot, Nolan. And by the way, my name's Blair."

"I know, I saw you at some gala a couple of months ago," he laughed. "I was bartending there."

"Well, the next time there's some event, I hope you're there."

He smiled politely. "I hope your life gets easier, these are supposed to be the best days of your life."

Blair nodded, putting the twenty she was holding in his hand. When he made a move to give it back, she shook her head. "It was the least I could do; you listened to my sob story."

He laughed, putting his number down on a napkin. "Let me know what you decide to do. Just remember, Blair, the same as your Vogue magazine, remember that no matter how close you follow the jumps: continued on page whatever. No matter how careful you are, there's going to be the sense you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all. There's that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should've been paying 

attention. Well, get used to that feeling. That's how your whole life will feel some day. This is all practice. None of this matters. You're just warming up."

* * *

**I used some quotations in this story from famous people :)  
The first one about high school is from an anonymous source  
but the last quote from the bartender is by Chuck Palahniuk.**

**Thanks for reading and remember to REVIEW.**


	8. Chastity

Blair didn't even try to locate Serena after her talk with Nolan. All she wanted to do was go home, put on pajamas, and sleep. As usual, it looked like nothing could possibly be that easy. As soon as she stumbled out of the club, the cool air hit her, making her instantly regret not bringing a jacket with her.

She walked down the street on a voyage to find a cab to take her back to the house. As soon as she turned the corner, though, she saw a black car with none other than Chuck Bass leaning against it, looking fashionable in Armani pants and a cream shirt, paired with a vintage jacket. When he saw Blair, his signature smirk danced at his lips.

"Shit," Blair muttered, trying to find an escape route. She could run across the street and into the water, but she was wearing a dress that she actually liked, and it was brand new. She could turn around and go back to the club and call a cab from inside. Or, she could keep walking. She picked door number three.

Chuck couldn't help but laugh when he saw Blair keep walking past him as if he didn't exist. She looked more beautiful tonight than ever before, and by the looks of it, had her fair share of vodka for the evening.

"I thought after last night, you would be going cold turkey about the drinking," he called out after her, hoping she would turn around.

When she didn't, he got into the car and ordered the driver to follow her. They went at a slow pace of five miles per hour, keeping right with Blair as she did her best to ignore Chuck's eyes on her back.

Quickening her pace did not help her. She silently cursed herself for wearing heels and not flats. She came to an intersection and pressed the pedestrian button, pressing it four times to try to get it to change faster.

"Blair, get in the car," Chuck said while leaning out of the window. She shook her head and pretended to ignore him. "Blair, get in the car or you'll ruin your shoes."

"I have ten other pairs with me, thanks," she said, crossing her arms. Why didn't the damn light change yet?

"Get in the car or I'll come and pick you up."

"You should be really glad that no one else is out here, Bass, or you could be getting quite a jail record worked up."

"Humor even in the gravest situations, Waldorf? Why am I not surprised?"

"Does it mean you'll leave me alone?"

"No."

She sighed and turned to face him. "I'm not getting into that car."

"Really? Because I think you will."

"You obviously don't know me very well, then."

"Actually," he said, smirking, "I think that I _know_ you better than anyone else."

She scoffed and silently thanked God for letting the light change. "Why do you have to be such a pig?"

"It's the way God made me," he said, acting offended.

"I don't think that God had anything to do with the making of you."

"I think that you of all people could agree that God had something to do with one of my body parts…"

She sighed and stopped walking. "How much longer until you decide to leave me alone?"

"How much longer until you decide to get in the damn car?"

She clucked her tongue in defeat and slid into the leather seats. "I hope you don't expect me to talk to you."

He laughed quietly. "So ungrateful, Waldorf. You would think that you would know where to give appreciation where it's due."

"Appreciation," she asked, rolling her eyes. "You gave me a ride, Bass."

"Would you rather I ride you?"

She sucked in her cheeks, her sign of anger. "Can you not just give it up?"

"Give what up," he asked, amused. "The fact that you're putty in my hands?"

"Ha! Putty? Is that what you call it when you run back to me every time I push you away? Is that the reason that you can't stand the fact that I'm about to date your best friend?"

"Wait, what? You're about to date _Nate_?!"

"Is that really a surprise, Bass?"

"I thought I made it clear that I wanted to be with you after school let out," he replied, showing true concern on his face.

"Are you kidding me, Bass," she asked, her cheeks growing red with anger. "You left me alone in Italy!"

"That was a mistake."

"Obviously!"

"I can commit to you now, in ways that I couldn't before, Blair. I'm _ready_."

She stopped. Those words were really starting to get old. "Yeah, well so is Nate. And at least he can commit to somebody longer than it takes to put clothes back on after sex."

Chuck was stunned by her words. "That's not true. He loves Serena."

"No, Chuck! He _loved _Serena! Just like I _loved _you! The past is the past, Chuck. Just let it be," she screamed before telling the driver to stop the car. When it came to a halt, she climbed out and slammed the door shut. Chuck was leaning out the window, begging her to come back. "I hope you burn in hell, Bass," was all she said before stomping up the street towards the house.

* * *

"I have never seen anything so beautiful," Blair mused, staring up at the clear blue sky that sparkled off of the ocean. It was an ideal sailing day – light, breezy winds and a warm climate, so naturally, Nate forced her to join him on the water.

"I have," he said, looking directly at her. She blushed and took a tip of her water. Having a hangover was starting to get old and she decided that drinking on the water probably wasn't the best of ideas, anyway. "So how was the club last night," Nate asked, sitting beside Blair on the leather cushioned bench.

"Oh, you know. Serena ran off with some guy, and I sat at the bar for awhile," she shrugged, not letting on about Nolan. "It was a typical night out with Serena."

"Do you think she's changing back," Nate asked, trailing his finger on Blair's bare arms.

"I don't know," Blair sighed, soaking in his touch. "I think that Dan kind of made her hide under a rock all year and being exposed to sunlight is kind of burning her right now, but she'll calm down. It's the Hamptons, after all."

Nate nodded and started to trail kissed down Blair's neck. She smiled and gently brought his jaw upwards so that they could kiss properly. He was sweet and gentle with his kisses, unlike Chuck who always seemed to be like a hunter finally capturing his prey. The thought of Chuck made her stiffen, and Nate took it as a rejection.

"No," Blair protested when he pulled away. "It's not that, I swear."

"No, I should have known," he said, kissing her forehead before standing up. "I'm going to go bring us back into land. Will you come to lunch with me?"

She was about to agree when she remembered that she had lunch plans with Nolan. "I… can't. Sorry. I made a promise to a friend I have out here."

Nate shrugged, but looked skeptical. "Okay, what are you doing tonight?"

She stood up and kissed him lightly. "You."

* * *

Blair giggled as Nate kissed her hand. They had just arrived home from dinner, and Blair planned on keeping her promise to him. She had on a LAMB mini dress with sequined patterns, a pair of Marc open-toed pumps, and carried a black Prada clutch. She knew that she looked hot, and she knew that tonight was the night she was going to cement her plan to be with Nate.

They moved slowly over to the bed, only breaking the kiss to remove certain articles of clothing or to take a much needed gulp of air before kissing each other again, each one getting deeper. Within ten minutes, Blair was in her matching La Perla undergarments, and Nate was in a pair of Lilly Pulitzer boxers, connected at the lips on his bed.

"Blair," he mumbled, sending vibrations through her lips. "I want you."

The words made her heart flutter, and she kissed him hungrily. "I _need_ you."

They started to kiss again, Nate reaching for Blair's bra hook when his phone started to ring on the nightstand. He groaned and sat up, leaving Blair on the bed, getting more annoyed by the second.

Since when did guys ditch a hot girl on their bed to answer a _phone call_? And especially when that girl in question is Blair Waldorf? She sighed and reached for her dress, pulling it on and zippering it just as Nate hung up the phone.

"What are you doing," he asked, running his hand through his hair. One second, Blair was on the bed, confessing her need for him, and now she was getting redressed?

"Maybe some other time, Nate," she said before kissing his cheek softly. "I'll see you later."

She couldn't help but feel slightly elated by the power play she had just used. Now, she was heading back to her room to sleep while Nate was probably having some good quality time with his hand. Biting back a laugh, she closed her bedroom door, feeling happy for the first time in awhile.


	9. Patience

Blair knocked three times on Serena's door before bursting through it, a huge smile on her face. "S, get up _right now_!"

Serena merely groaned and threw a pillow over her face, trying to block the sunlight that was seeping through the drapes. She felt Blair sit down next to her.

"S, a lady never sleeps past ten," Blair said, pulling the covers off of her. "Now get up, you man."

Serena gave up on ignoring her and sat up, her blonde hair a mess around her beautiful face. "What time is it?"

"Ten oh one, to be exact," Blair grinned, bubbling enthusiasm. "Now get up, get up, get up!"

"Can I inquire as to why you're in such a great mood," Serena asked, almost afraid of the answer. Blair was only ever happy for two reasons: She had either just socially destroyed somebody, or, she had just gotten her way.

"I'll explain it later," Blair said, rifling through Serena's suitcases. "Put this on, and fast. I don't have all day for your laziness."

She left the room, giving Serena some time alone to get ready. She felt like a zombie, she had arrived back at the house around three in the morning, and with Blair's sudden perkiness, it was not going to be the most satisfying day in the entire world.

Serena gave up on trying to tame her long blonde hair and managed to eventually wrestle it into a ponytail, skipping makeup. It wasn't like she needed to impress anybody.

"Do you want to tell me where we're going," she asked, slipping on her favorite pair of Fendi Wedge Pumps. "And why we have to be there at ten thirty in the morning?"

Blair tore herself away from her compact mirror and looked at Serena. "S, have some courtesy. I went through a lot of trouble to do this."

"Do what exactly?"

"Patience is a virtue, Serena."

"Since when have you been a Catholic?"

"Since this morning, Serena. Are you done with the interrogation or can we go?"

Serena sighed and grabbed her Dior tote, checking that her cell phone was in it before taking off behind Blair towards a black car waiting outside.

Still confused, the black car wound through the Hampton streets, letting the girls catch glimpses of the sparking blue ocean. After what seemed like hours, the car pulled over into an empty parking lot, cutting the engine.

"Care to explain," Serena asked, letting the driver open the door for her.

"Patience, Serena," Blair repeated, following Serena out of the car into the crisp morning air. A soft wind was brushing along the sand, whipping Serena's long blonde hair off of her back and made Blair's shiny brown hair flitter delicately. "Before we go any closer to the beach, S, can you answer a couple of questions?"

"I don't think I like where this is going, but sure," Serena said, letting her oversized sunglasses hide her skeptical look.

"Do you remember the summer we came down here in sixth grade," Blair asked, hoping Serena would recall the memory.

"Sure, you were upset to be leaving Nate, and I was upset to be leaving Eric. Nate was off sailing the seas with the Captain, and Eric went down to St. Barts with some friends. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Do you remember what we did to take our minds off of the most important guys in our hearts?"

Serena laughed airily, looking out to the ocean. "We said that even though we weren't _together_, we could never be apart, as long as we were all surrounded by the same –"

"Ocean," Blair said, completely Serena's sentence. "I thought that maybe this was all that we really needed, a day to remember the simpler times."

"Aw, Blair," Serena yelped, crushing her friend into a hug. "This is the sweetest thing that anybody's ever done for me!"

"Don't get too used to it," Blair choked out, trying to pull out of the bone-crushing hug. "And by the way, I can't breathe."

Serena let go of her reluctantly. "So what are we doing down here, anyway?"

Blair didn't say anything, but started to walk down to the bare beach, towards a single boat waiting in the water. The driver saluted to her and started the engine. "Are you coming," Blair asked, turning back to her friend.

Serena started to sprint towards the boat, climbing in and running her fingers across the tan leather seats. "I love it," she muttered, mostly to herself.

They were served breakfast by a small crew of waiters. The first course was a simple fruit plate, and it was soon followed by a plate of eggs and sausage, Serena's favorite breakfast food.

"Mmm," she moaned after eating the last bite of the eggs, pushing the plate away from her. "That was insanely delicious."

"Glad you liked it," Blair said, smiling. She had barely eaten a bite, but it's not like Serena would notice, anyway. "So what shall we do today?"

"How much time do we have," Serena asked, studying Blair's face.

"I'm all yours today, hun," Blair replied, smiling at the look of delight on Serena's face.

"Gee, and to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Blair _could _have told Serena the truth, about how she was too confused with Nate to see him, and too angry at Chuck to see him. Or, she could lie. She chose the latter.

"Oh, you know, if you don't have time to spend with your best friend, then you're going to go crazy eventually," Blair answered, flashing her best smile.

They eventually descended from the boat, walking back towards the car. Before climbing in, Blair turned back to the ocean, absorbing the scenery.

She had never really noticed it, but her life could relate to the ocean in a lot of way – was it peaceful, or was it the calm before the storm? Was it beautiful, or deadly? Was it a confined part of the beach, or did it stretch out towards the rest of the world, no barriers holding it in?

Either way, Blair decided silently, she had to make a decision. One or the other.

* * *

**I apologize greatly, but I do believe that this will be my last update for awhile. I'm moving to the Middle East, and I'll be boarding a 24-hour plane ride tomorrow morning /**

**I'll try to have a new chapter up by Sunday, I swear. Thank you :)**


	10. Temperence

The car pivoted up the semi-circle driveway, stopping in front of the huge white front doors. The driver opened the door immediately for the girls, and they stepped out, squinting at the high afternoon sun.

"Oh my gosh! It is so freaking bright out here," Serena crooned, shielding the sun from her blue eyes. The Hampton summer was always _so _much more attractive to her, for the heat intensified the smell of ocean water, not rotting garbage like in the Upper East Side.

"I couldn't even agree more," Blair, Serena's best friend, said as she slipped on her Dior sunglasses to stop the rays of the sun. "It's almost obnoxious."

The girls laughed and walked into the grand house that they had rented for the month, to get away from the pressures and loudness and faces of New York City. They couldn't even be more excited by the fact that they weren't tired down to anything but each other out here, in fact, they had almost forgotten that the UES existed.

Serena's phone chirped from her Coach bag, and it was almost paralleled from Blair's phone that was snuggled in her Louis Vuitton. They exchanged looks sourly – the parallel text messages could only mean one thing… Gossip Girl.

**Hello and behold Upper East Siders! Has this summer been crazy or **_**what?! **_**I just flew back in from St. Barts, but we're not here to read about yours truly, are we? The Hamptons will probably never recover from what I've heard. B and N have apparently been taken akin to the wonders of the ocean, spending quite a few afternoons on N's boat. S has been sick – but not with the flu! Seems like our favorite glamour girl has gotten a taste of Disco Fever, dancing on tabletops at three in the morning, anyone? C, on the other hand, has gone MIA for the past couple of nights. Maybe he's hiding out devising his newest scheme? Something to ponder, ladies and gents. XOXO- Gossip Girl.**

"Ugh!"

Blair looked up at Serena, who had just made the most random noise ever in existence. "I can't believe this! It was _two _in the morning!"

"S, I don't even think that that matters. It was so foolish to think that just leaving that forsaken city could mean that we got out of it."

"What's up with Chuck? He's the only one who hasn't been on the gossip circuit," Serena said, pouring herself a drink. "It's kind of strange, since we've been reported about everywhere we've gone."

"I wouldn't think too much of it," Blair said, running her fingers through her long brown hair. "I'm sure he's just doing some 'underground' partying."

"Or," Serena proposed, sitting next to Blair. "Maybe he packed up and left."

Blair thought about Serena's idea for a couple of seconds, but shot it down. Could he have left? Would he even do that? The last she had even seen him was in his car, but it certainly wasn't like Chuck to sit back and let someone else take what he believed was entitled to him.

"I wouldn't get too excited about that yet, S," Blair finally said, taking a sip of Serena's cosmo. "He's around, like one of those rats that you can never kill."

Both of the girls tilted their heads back and laughed, the sounds echoing off of the high ceilings and surrounding the empty-sounding house. At the sound of the laughter, Nate came bounding down the stairs.

"Where have you two been," he asked, sitting on Blair's other side, taking her into a one-armed hug. He planted a delicate kiss on the top of her head, letting her coconut scented shampoo fill his airways. "You smell like a piece of tropical heaven."

Blair laughed, and Serena scoffed. "Well, lovebirds, I'm going to take a nap. _Someone _woke me up at the most unearthly hour imaginable."

Blair rolled her eyes. "So what have _you _been up to," she asked, poking her finger playfully into Nate's chest.

"Oh, you know, sleeping, sailing, the macho man things that I do."

"Oh yeah, because macho men just _happen _to have highlighted hair," Blair joked, running her fingers through the ends of it delicately.

"Very funny," Nate replied, shaking his head furiously so that Blair had to take her hands out of it. "You know what I'm going to have to do so that we're even right?"

Blair started to laugh, but inside her head was reeling. Surely he wasn't mentioning _sex_, right? "Ooooh, what? Is the big bad Nate going to come and get me?"

He laughed and started to tickle her sides, making her giggle and squirm like a four year old. "Nate, stop! Stop," she protested, unable to fight back the laughter. "If you don't stop right now, I'm going to kill you!"

"You mean kiss," he asked, withdrawing his hands from her waist and replacing them on her cheeks. "You seem to be getting your l's and s's mixed up nowadays…"

"Hmm, _that's _why I never won the spelling bee," she murmured, forgetting to add her signature sarcastic edge to the words.

He smiled his cute half smile and drew her into his lips, running his hands through her hair. He slowly deepened the kiss, running his tongue on the inside of her bottom lip. She couldn't help but smile softly. She missed the way Nate kissed.

After a couple minutes of making out, he started to toy with the strap of her shirt, pulling it down from her shoulder. She shoved his hand and pulled away from the kiss.

"Not here," she protested, climbing off of Nate's lap.

"Blair, nobody is around. What's wrong with right here?"

"Nate, it's practically a public place!"

"Does it still make it public is _nobody _is there," he said, adjusting his shirt.

"Nate, I didn't mean that we _shouldn't _do it, just not in the living room. People sit on this couch."

He smiled crookedly and took her hand, leading her up the stairs. Once they found their way to his bedroom, he shut the door loudly, flicking the lock into place.

* * *

Blair flung Nate's arm off of her, slipping quietly into her clothing that was strewn across the room. After she was sure that she looked presentable, she opened the door silently and slipped out before he could wake up and notice her absence.

She walked the halls barefoot, letting the cold wooden floors sting her feet with each step. She needed something to wake her up and let her know that this was all _real_, her and Nate being together, and, well, her and Nate were back to where they should have been if it weren't for _Chuck_.

The same made her nearly sick to her stomach, just like a rollercoaster ride's first drop. She was glad he was missing 'in action', and she prayed that he would stay there, maybe for eternity, if it helped at all.

She opened her door, looking up and taking a step back from fright. "Chuck, what the hell are you doing here?!"

He was sitting on her window seat, drumming his fingers against the wood like he was lost in thought about physics or something scientific and thought-provoking.

"I'm here to see _you_," he answered like it was the most obvious question he had ever been asked, like she had asked him what color an orange is.

"Why? Nobody asked you here," she retorted, keeping her distance from him.

"Nobody ordered me away, either."

"It's not like you would follow the request, anyway."

A small smile played at his lips. "You know me all too well, Waldorf."

"Unfortunately for me, Bass. So, why are you here? Did some blonde tramp turn you down in bed or something like that?"

"You wish," he said, standing from the seat. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you just got back from having rather mediocre sex."

Blair flushed bright red. "Mediocre?"

"Well," he explained, "that expression is _nearly _what you have after me, but just not quite there yet."

She frowned and dodged his arms. "So why are you even here? Not satisfied with ruining my life just once?"

A light bulb went on over his head. "So you and Nate are back together, I suppose?"

"So you still have some brain cells left after all those late nights of partying? That's amazing. We should call some scientists."

He shook his head sourly. "Are you serious? You're back with Nate?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because, well, after you and he broke up the _last _time, he just always swore that he would never mess around with you," Chuck said. "I do actually believe that he used the words 'tramp' and 'hoe' in there somewhere, but my memory, as you already pointed out, could be quite faulty."

Blair froze. "What the hell do you mean, Bass?"

"I think you know what I mean, Waldorf."

The two stood in a stony silence for a couple of seconds as Blair digested the words.

"Out! Out!" She screamed, hitting him on the head with her purse. "Get OUT! Get out of my LIFE; get out of my ROOM, just GET OUT!"

He flinched each time the purse collided with his skull, but even more at her words. "You're just going to kick me out?"

"Why the hell shouldn't I," she screamed, trying to force him out of the door. She was putting all of her strength into pushing him out, but he still looked calm and relaxed in the doorway.

"After all that I've done for you? Talk about being an ingrate," he replied, his smirk returning on his handsome features.

Blair stopped pushing him for a second and decided to act this scene out. "Well, you know, _Chuck_, you have a point." He nodded eagerly. "You've just done _so _much for me in these past couple weeks, I mean, seducing me and then trying to kidnap me at a party, and then of course, the way that you like to hold a HUGE mistake I made months ago over my head. What am I thinking by hating you?"

She smiled and then kicked his shin with her heel. "And don't you dare ever show your face in my room again, BASS."

Blair slammed and double-locked the door. Boys were really just too much trouble nowadays.


	11. Diligence

"Go away!" Blair screamed from under her covers. She could feel the sunlight beating into the room, making it impossible to sleep. And of course, there was the persistent knocking coming from the other side of the door.

After Chuck had left, Blair had resorted to the wallowing that only a teenage girl can do. She climbed into her silk pajamas, locked the door, removed her makeup, and crawled into the huge light blue bed that was beginning to become a security blanket to her.

The knocking had stopped, leaving the room in an eerie silence. Blair could hear her soft heartbeat over the chirping birds outside, and even the sound of the ocean that traveled from the backyard. Pleased, Blair pulled the covers back over her head and tried to sleep until she heard the sound of a lock clicking.

"Blair," a soft, high voice called out. "Are you in there?"

"No," Blair answered, feeling immediately grumpy by the visitor.

A musical laugh followed the comment, and then the mattress sank lower on the right hand side of the bed. "What happened to a lady never sleeping past nine?"

"What time is it?"

"Noon. Since when have you even slept past eight?"

Blair groaned and pulled the covers away from her face. "Why the hell is it always so bright here?"

"Hun, you're on the ocean. It's supposed to be bright. Now, get up! We're going to have fun!"

"Fun?" Blair asked, incredulously. "I don't want to have fun. I want to wallow."

"Wallowing's not fun, B," Serena stated like it was a well known fact. "You need to have _fun_. It's summer."

"I don't want to have fun," Blair said again. "Chuck came here last night."

Serena froze. "Here?"

"Yes. Here."

"Why?"

"Because he's pathetic, I don't know."

"What did he say?"

"I don't care. He's just on a mission to ruin my life," Blair sighed, sitting up on the bed.

"Well, we have to stop him," Serena replied.

"S, he's so lame, he's not going to get far. He just thinks that I'll run back into his arms whenever he asks for it." Blair stretched out her arms and put on her slippers. "Where's Nate?"

"Oh, B," Serena said, her tone sympathetic. "Nate went home."

Blair froze. "What the hell? Why?"

"His mom needed him," Serena said, her eyes focused out the window. "He told me to tell you that he'll call whenever he gets home, but it was urgent."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Leave it to Nate to run away."

"B, that's not fair," Serena disagreed. "You don't know what it's about."

"When did he leave?"

"I don't know, about nine?"

"And he should have been in the city about an hour ago. I have no missed calls," Blair pointed out, pointing at her cell phone. "Ugh, I should have known!"

"Known what?" Serena asked, draping an arm around Blair.

"History repeats itself! Whenever Nate and I get, well, _serious_, he decides that he doesn't know what he wants and freaks out! Leaving me alone!"

Blair was yelling now, kicking random pieces of furniture. "ERGH! I'm just so pissed!"

Serena nodded her head sympathetically. "Maybe it really was something big, Blair."

"Serena, open your eyes! God, doesn't your fantasy world get old after awhile," Blair snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest. Serena's face fell after her retort, and Blair immediately felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, S, I didn't mean to say that."

Serena stood up. "You know what, Blair? I try _so _hard to be there for you whenever you have a problem, but I'm sick of it. If you want to be friends, make more of an effort, but I'm out."

Blair stood dumbfounded by the window. Serena had never actually reacted to one of Blair's snarky remarks before. Did she expect Blair to run after her? Is that what Blair was supposed to do?

Eventually, Blair went to Serena's room. The door was ajar, and after a quick scan, Blair realized that Serena definitely wasn't in the room, or even in the house. She sighed and picked up her cell phone. Serena wasn't answering to her calls now, either. "Wonderful," Blair muttered. "This day is just going to be wonderful."

She managed to get dressed and put on a decently applied face of makeup. She had no idea what she was going to do for the day. She could sit around and wait for Serena to show up again, like she would 

inevitably have to do. She could sit around and stare at her cell phone waiting for Nate to call (if he ever did). Or, she could go out.

After a moment's consideration, Blair decided to go out. After calling a taxi she gathered her phone, wallet, and hair tie. When she heard a series of short honks, she flew down the stairs and into the waiting taxi.

"Where do you want to go, lady," the driver asked, chewing loudly on his gum. Blair held back a grimace and shrugged.

"Whitehouse."

* * *

**It's a short chapter, I apologize. I need more things to write about, I'm having serious writer's block lately. Just leave it in a review or message, I don't care. Thank you :)**


	12. Author's Note

I AM SO SORRY!!

I haven't upated because I moved, and things got crazy and out of control, and it's no excuse.

But expect an update THIS WEEK.

I swear.

Thank you :)


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